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Ranger returned to the Air Canada Centre on Wednesday night after undergoing a precautionary assessment in hospital.

A Tampa Bay Lightning spokesman said that Killorn tried to contact Ranger after the game and left a voicemail for him.

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It’s too early to tell what Ranger’s condition, is or what his immediate future with the team is.

“Maple Leafs defenceman Paul Ranger was assessed and discharged from hospital in Toronto Wednesday evening,” the team said in a statement Thursday.

Killorn received a five-minute boarding major and a game misconduct for the hit on Ranger.

None of the Leafs said they thought it was dirty or illegal.

“As has been a consistent feature of the Department of Player Safety’s treatment of contact along the boards, the last-second turn back by Paul Ranger was key to this incident not elevating to SD (supplemental discipline),” the NHL wrote in an email.

Ranger, who has been a healthy scratch for 21 games this season, has been performing well of late. He has four goals and eight assists this season.

The 29-year-old scored his fourth of the season last week in the 3-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks in the opening game of the Leafs’ five-game road swing.

Ranger has been the seventh defenceman as coach Randy Carlyle has lately decided to dress an extra defenceman and cut down to 11 forwards as a way to give defenceman Dion Phaneuf more rest and bump up the minutes for some of the star forwards.

The Leafs have so far not called up another defenceman from the Toronto Marlies.

Meanwhile, No. 1 goaltender Jonathan Bernier will test his injured groin in a full workout Friday after he skated in full gear Wednesday in the pre-game skate.

If the practice goes well, Bernier may start against the Montreal Canadiens at the Air Canada Centre on Saturday as the Leafs attempt to end a three-game losing streak.

Bernier was injured in the first period last Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings.

Reimer himself has admitted that he could have been better in the loss to Tampa, which got a three-goal effort, on a natural hat trick, from superstar Steven Stamkos. His three goals came on only three shots.

Relegated to backup duty this season, Reimer said “it’s been a really big test of character” to play behind Bernier and see his starting assignments reduced in the last half of the season.

“It really hasn’t gone the way I’d hoped,” he told reporters after the game Wednesday. “I haven’t played, I don’t think, up to my capability for the last little while. It’s tough. It’s not for lack of effort, not for lack of passion or desire. But things just aren’t clicking. I’m working hard, trying to stay positive, believing in myself and I fully believe that things will turn around.”

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